I’ve decided to honor and celebrate mothers all year long. This will be the third year that Mother’s Day is upon us and instead of having the opportunity to plan the surprise bouquet of flowers and gift delivery my brother and I had the joy of orchestrating each year, in order to surprise Mom, we are reminded that we lost Mom in 2013. It was sudden, it was earth-pulverizing, it was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life.

From the depths of the worst pain one could ever endure, I decided to honor and celebrate mothers all year long, because that was what my brother Karl and I did for ours. While I didn’t go seeking the idea, the idea actually came to me. As a journalist and photographer, I developed a coping mechanism for my grief by exploring the powerful innate bond between mothers and daughters. On Mother's Day of 2014, I decided to honor my mother by launching The Anita Claire Project, where I documented the mother/daughter relationships of various people. Since then, the on-going project has taken on a life of its own and has made a significant impact in my life and several others, as well as the subjects of the series. Throughout the couple of years I have been working on my passion project, I have found there to be a common thread woven throughout each photo and video session. With each mother and daughter (and grandmother and granddaughter) session, there always is something that relates back to Mom, in some way. In addition to that, I feel a connection with each woman and girl, and it confirms my feelings that Mom is always going to be with us.

Who was Anita Claire? My mother was a beautiful woman, inside and out. She was a strong, courageous woman. She was extremely strong and unyielding in her principles. She treated others with kindness and respect, just as she wished, and expected, to be treated. My mom was wise, an intellectual, and a voracious reader. Armed with a magnetic personality and smile, she made friends everywhere she went. Hearing her recount a story of the nice lady she met on an airplane or the gentleman at the bus stop was not unusual. Her sense of humor was top notch and I fondly remember the countless times we shared some cheerful laughs. I can hear her now. She was knowledgeable on all things, in all areas of life. She loved with passion and was loyal, always. My mom led by example and also taught us so many things based on the simple contrast of what is right and what is wrong. I could go on and on about all of the things that she was, and is, to us, and the infinite lessons she taught my brother Karl and me, but time nor space would allow for it.

I’ve decided to honor and celebrate mothers all year long; Mother’s Day included.

The Anita Claire Project, launched in honor of Kendra A Kabasele’s mother, and the bond between mothers and daughters, can be viewed at www.AClaireView.com, on Instagram and Twitter @AClaireView and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AClaireView.

On this day, Mother's Day 2015, The Anita Claire Project celebrates ONE YEAR! What a year it has been. I am so grateful to have been able to honor my mother, Anita Claire, by honoring mothers and daughters and their special bonds. Every bond is unique and I am honored to be able to honor the strong ones as well as the works in progress. This project has shown me more than I had ever anticipated and continues to do so as it grows, reaches, expands, uncovers, inspires, questions, and so much more. I launched this project on Mother's Day 2014 as my gift to my mom. It has become, in turn, one of the biggest gifts I have ever received as well. To all of the women and girls that participated in my project, thank you. Each and every one of you has given this project the love it set out to be. I tell people that you each have, in some way, shared something in common with my mom and/or the life my brother and our family know. I thank you for your enthusiasm, your candor, your interest, transparency and most of all, for just being you. I shall continue on with this project and please stay tuned as it continues to evolve and morph into other creations.

To my mom, with love...Mom, I miss you every second of every day and while I am gaining strength, I believe it is because I know you are in my heart, I carry you with me, I see you in my isms, I hear you in my laugh, I conduct myself as a result of having grown up with you as my mother and I feel your push in my weakest moments of wondering how to go on without you. Thank you for being you. I am who I am because you were you, and always will be. I love you.

It is with great excitement that I present the first mother and daughter pair of the year! Melanie lives in West Hills, California with her 2 year old daughter Makayla, her husband Michael and dog Max. She is currently a stay at home mother who enjoys spending time with her family. Upon meeting with Melanie and Makayla, I could immediately see the close bond they share. Sweet and welcoming yet pensive and independent; that is how I would describe Makayla. Some of the most beautiful moments with them were simply observing how mutually inspired they were by the other.

(Video interview following photo gallery.)

"Having Makayla seriously made my dreams come true..." - Melanie

It's the little moments...

The playful moments...

"I've always wanted to be a mom..." - Melanie

The look of pure joy...

Who needs a jungle gym when you can climb up Mommy?

"She is just the best child ever...so sweet and smart, and I love her to the moon and back." - Melanie

"I just want her to always know that her mom and dad and her family, we love her to pieces...and want her to feel secure and be a confident woman, and be smart and loving and share with people and just be a good person..." - Melanie

"It's a very special, special bond..." - Melanie

"It's the kind of love that you can't even describe..." - Melanie

"She's so innocent and sweet and loving..." - Melanie

"She continuously amazes me with her vocabulary." - Melanie

"I love seeing the world through her eyes..." - Melanie

ATCHOO! Bless you, Makayla!

Max made an appearance and appears to be Makayla's special friend...

Daddy...well, Daddy's hand, also made an impromptu appearance that day!

Thank you so much, Melanie and Makayla, for taking the time to be a part of my project. Thank you for being so warm and welcoming and for sharing an afternoon in the life of a mother and daughter. Your connection is true and Melanie, along with Makayla's independent spirit, I can see that she also counts on you. I know you will cherish the moments.

I am excited to reveal the third and last installment of the summer photo shoots I call "A Claire View of Montreal". I love capturing moments in my hometown. It's not every day you get to sit down with one of your closest friends to pick her brain on what it's like to be a mother, and, more specifically, what it's like to be a mother to a daughter. Natalie is one of the greatest people I know, and our story began when we met in university at a time when we were both studying Psychology. The things we would talk about then - including life, love and the future - have become the realities we face each day. It was an honor to capture the candid and loving moments she had with her daughter Olivia (now two, as this post goes to press), just as it is an honor to hear Olivia call me, "Auntie Kendra".

Thank you, Natalie, for being a true friend, and for sharing your innermost heartfelt sentiments about what it's like to be a mom. Your words resonate with me as I think about my relationship with my own mother. I think that's part of the reason we are such good friends....like gravitates toward like...and you're like family.

(Video interview following photo gallery.)

"...a mini me!" - Natalie, about Olivia

"It's comforting to know that I've got this little life in my hands that I have to embrace and I have to take care of..." - NataliePuzzle time, quality time...

"Being a mom, to me, has been the most rewarding experience that I ever thought I could have..." - Natalie

Bright future ahead of you, kid...

Thank you, Natalie and Olivia, for sharing your time with me! Natalie, we used to think about what these days would be like...You're doing an extraordinary job...Olivia, know that you are more than your mom could ever have imagined in a daughter...keep being you.

A Claire View of Montreal and another childhood friend! April and I grew up on the same street, on opposite sides, two houses apart. Fast forward to today and she is mother to Maisie, 8, and Darby, almost 7. She has been married for 10 years and was a working mom turned entrepreneurial stay at home mom. One of the things she discovered is that she loves to travel, and would love to show her girls the world!

(Video interview following photo gallery.)

"I wish that they never give up on their dreams, and that they realize that once their dreams materialize that they can dream again." - April

"I wish they put themselves first." - April

"I wish that they're not afraid of anything...just not afraid to push their limits...to reach for the stars and get everything that they can out of life..." - April

"My wishes for my girls...I wish they never have issues with body image. It took me up until the time that I had two girls to realize that everyone is born with a different body type. Some people are naturally lean, some are not and they should appreciate the strengths that their own body has." - April

"I wish they don't wish to be someone else; they are great just the way they are." - April

"I wish that they grow up to have great childhood memories..." - April

"My wish is just that they do the best that they can do...and that they come out okay in the end..." - April

"I wish they do not fear the unknown. I wish that they will just do it." - April

"I wish that they always dance like no one is watching..." - April

April, what a treat to reunite after such a long time! Thank you for sharing your time, humor and insights. I am so lucky to call you a lifelong friend and am so glad I had a chance to meet your girls! Keep doing what you're doing and I look forward to seeing them soar! Thank you...

Cheryl is from Kahnawake, Québec, and the mother of four beautiful girls, Kailyn, 20, Autumn, 16, Jordyn, 11 and Emma, their little angel baby, who would have been five years old. Cheryl is also the proud grandmother of sweet little Braelyn, her eight month old granddaughter. She loves her to pieces!

(Video interview following photo gallery.)

"My girls are all very different and each one of them has taught me something new about being a mom and I appreciate that. I consider myself very lucky to have had some very special women in my life." - Cheryl

As the girls gather, they keep their angel daughter, sister, aunt, Emma Lynn, in their hearts.

Palpable love...

Baby Braelyn loves her aunt and grandma!

"...She is just as beautiful, silly and just as lively as her mother was at her age!" - Cheryl, on her grandbaby Braelyn

A quiet moment with her own granddaughter, Cheryl reflects on her grandmother...

"I was very close to my grandmother, she taught me many things but the one thing that stuck was her love for cooking. I may not enjoy cooking all that much today but it made me appreciate real food, not the kind you buy off of a shelf."

Those eyes!

Picture perfect...

Priceless...

Family togetherness brings much joy...

A moment of reflection...

In loving memory of Baby Emma...

Thank you for sharing this delicate part of your story, Cheryl...

"...she passed away from Cancer in 2010, we did not always have the greatest relationship but I think there is always a certain amount of “butting heads” between parents and children. One of the greatest things I learned from my mom was how to be independent. She was a very strong and unselfish woman and for that I am grateful. I now understand all of her sacrifices . Right now I have my aunt. She has never tried to replace my mom but has stood by my side ever since I lost my mom and I cannot express how much that means to me. I can only hope that I will have the same impact on my children as they did with me!" - Cheryl, on her mother

Cheryl, thank you so much, to you and your family, for sharing your story with me, and with the world. From high school until now, it is such an inspiration to see how much you have accomplished and how much success you have in your beautiful family! It warms my heart to have you be a part of my project and I thank you...

The Anita Claire Projectis such an important tribute project and with the vision to take the project on the road, I am very excited and proud to announce the first of several installments of "A Claire View of Montreal"! Yes, I have had the beautiful opportunity to photograph longtime friends of mine, in my hometown. They are a part of my childhood, my adolescence, and my adulthood. To say that I still know them, and get to share this experience with them, is beyond anything I could ever have imagined. This project, as I've said before, has become its own vehicle. It has chosen me, connected me with some fascinating human beings, taught me much about life and myself, and pushed me towards limits and adventures I didn't see coming. All the while, I am thankful and I continue to feel my mother's presence.

And so, the next several posts will be mothers and daughters (and a granddaughter!) from my hometown, from my story...